Cover-fastening for fruit-jars.



No. 886,930. I PATENTED MAY 5, 1908. W. A. BOSTWIOK.

COVER FASTENING FOR FRUIT JARS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT.16, 1907.

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\X/ITNEESEE! INVEN J William flLBosimtCk n4 NORRIS PETER: c0. WASHINGTON. u. c.

is a side view of the yoke and shows the cover is such as to prevent the entrance into 110' UNITE STATES ATENT OFFICE.

COVER-FASTENING FOR FRUIT-JARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 5, 1908.

Application filed October 16, 1907. Serial No. 397,610.

gases from the jar when under excessive pressure.

The essential features of my present invention are a yoke carrying hooks adapted to engage under the usual rim at the top of the can and carrying at its center a clamping bolt or screw, arranged to engage a yielding seat extending over the glass cover of the can and normally held in place on the yoke by means of openings therethrough to receive the prongs of the yoke above the hooks and through which openings such prongs or vertical members of the yoke may freely slide. The horizontally disposed member of the yoke is flexible and preferably curved slightly downwards in order that there may be provided, in connection with the spring seat for the lower end of the bolt, means whereby there may be applied to the can cover a yielding pressure, such in amount as to practically prevent the ingress of air to the jar while permitting the escape of gases under pressure from the jar, but upon screwing down the clamping bolt there is put upon the cover an increased pressure which, while always suflicient to prevent ingress of air from the outside of the can, is still of such a yielding character as to permit the gases in the can under excessive pressure to escape before breaking the can. The yielding seat to receive the lower end of the clamping bolt is adapted to engage the cover at its outer edges and it is also removable from the yoke and it may therefore be made separately from the yoke and inserted thereover after such parts are formed up.

The accompanying drawings illustrating my invention are as follows Figure 1 is a top viewand Fig. 2 a side view, of the upper end only, of a fruit jar having my cover fastening thereon. Fig. 3

spring seat for the bolt as nearly removed therefrom. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the yoke with the clamping screw removed therefrom, while Fig. 5 is a plan view of the spring seat.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

The yoke of my cover fastening comprises an elastic member E bent up as shown in the drawings with a nearly horizontally disposed member 6 extending, preferably through suitable curves, into vertical members 6 terminating at their lower ends in hooks 6 adapted to engage under the rim 7' of the jar J. The member e of the yoke E is normally curved downwardly, as indicated in' full lines in Fig. 2 and the normal position for the spring seat S is indicated also in Fig. 2. This spring seat S has slots at each end thereof 8 and a depression 8- at the center to form a seat for the lower end of the clamping screw 1) threaded through the nut a formed at the center of the member e of the yoke E.

The yoke E is formed, preferably, by means of dies and with a strong tendency of the parts to assume and retain the positions indicated in full lines in Fig. 2. The spring seat S is insertible over the ends of the yoke by moving the parts to the relative positions approximately as seen in Fig. 3, in which the lower left hand end of the spring seat S is shown in section, the parts being so proportioned that by moving the seat S to the position indicated in Fig. 3, the spring seat S may be either removed from or inserted in place over the yoke, and for insertion over the yoke one end of such spring seat is first inserted over the hook e at the lower end of a member e and thenmovedsubstantially to the positions indicated in Fig. 3, and by slightlyspringing the parts the spring seat S may be inserted over the hook e on the lower end of the other member e on the yoke E. J

In using my cover clamp, the ar may be filled in the usual way and the cover 0 inserted in place and the rubber ring r underneath it, after which the yoke E with the spring seat S thereon is inserted in position substantially as seen in Fig. 2, when, upon turning the screw 5, the spring "seat S is. forced downwardly at its center so as to bear down upon the cover 0 of the jar at its center and in this position the pressure upon the the can-of any air from the outside, but if, stantially extreme oblique position relative as is sometimes done, the fruit is heated in the can, the pressure upon the cover for this position of the parts is such as to permit the escape of the heated and expanded gases from the can, thereupon the screw 1) may be turned down to force the members .0 and ve of the yoke E to the position indicated in dotted lines respectively at e and e, adding sufficient pressure upon the cover to cause the same to remain properly sealed, but not with pressure suflicient to cause the bursting of the can in case ofthe fermentation of the contents of the can generating gases, which, unless a suitable escape is provided, often results in the bursting of the can. Under such greatly increased pressure from the inside, 'the member e of the yoke E will yield sufficiently to permit the escape of the gases under pressure from the can before reaching a pressure sufiicient to burst the can.

The varying conformation of the member e affords a visual indication of the pressure exerted upon the cover, and the parts may readily be so proportioned that the maximum pressure exertible may never be sufiicient to-cause the can to burst by an excessive pressure of gases resulting from fermentation of the contents of the can.

What I claim is 1. A cover fastening for a fruit jar having a yoke holding means thereon, comprising a yoke having a substantially horizontal portion provided with a clamping bolt threaded,

therethrough and with downwardly extending portions provided at their lower ends with members ada ted to engage such yoke holding means; the iorizontal portion of such yoke adapted to yield under the strain exerted thereon in screwing down such clamping bolt and a s ring seat adapted to receive the lower end 0 such screw and to yield under pressure exerted thereon in screwing down such clamping bolt.

2. A cover fastening for a fruit jar having yoke holding means thereon, comprising a yoke having a substantially horizontal por tion provided with a clamping bolt threaded therethrough and with downwardly extending portions provided at their lower ends with members adapted to engage such yoke holding means, the horizontal portion of such yoke adapted to yield under the strain exerted thereon in screwing down such clampin bolt and a spring seat adapted to receive the ower end of such clamping bolt and to extend across the top of the cover of the jar and having slots oropenings near its ends to receive the downwardly extending portions of such yoke and insertible thereover when in subto such yoke.

3. A cover vfastening for a fruit jar having yoke holding means thereon, comprising a yoke having a substantially horizontal portion provided with a clamping bolt threaded therethrough and with downwardly extending portions provided at their lower ends with members adapted to engage such yoke holding means, the horizontal portion of such yoke adapted to yield under the strain exertedthereon in screwing down such clamping bolt and a sring seat adapted to receive the lower end 0 such screw, to normally contact with the cover at the outer edges thereof and to yield so as to contact with the cover near the center thereof under a pressure exerted thereon sufficient to prevent the ingress of air to the'j'ar.

4. A cover fastening for a fruit jar having yoke holding means' thereon, comprising a yoke having a substantially horizontal portion provided with a clamping bolt threaded therethrough and withdownwardly extending portions provided at their lower ends with members adapted to engage such yoke holding means, the horizontal portion of such yoke adapted to yield under the strain exerted thereon in screwing down such clamping bolt and a spring seat adapted to receive the lower end of such clamping bolt, and to extend across the top of the cover of the jar and having slots or openings near its ends to receive the downwardly extending portions of such yoke andlinsertible thereover when in substantially extreme oblique position rela tive to such yoke, the downwardly extending portions of suchyoke slidable through and guided by the slots in such spring seat.

5. A cover fastening for a fruit jar having yoke holding means thereon, comprising a yoke having a substantially horizontal portion provided with a clamping'bolt threaded therethrough and with downwardly extend; ing portions provided at their lower ends with members adapted to engage such yoke holding means, the horizontal portion of such yoke adapted to yield under the strain exerted thereon in screwing down such clamping bolt and a s ring seat adapted to receive the lower end 0 such clamping bolt and to extend across the top of the cover of the jar and having slots or openings near its ends to receive the downwardly extending portions of such yoke' and insertible thereover.

WILLIAM A. BOSTWICK.

WVitnesses OSBORNE F. GURNEY, LoTTrE Woon. 

